NXT
Date: December 26, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re taped again here, as WWE thankfully gave the roster the holiday week off. The big story coming out of last week was Ilja Dragunov seemingly being injured in a match against Ridge Holland, which could change next week’s NXT Title match. Other than that, Chase U has a match to get rid of all of its debt. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Chase U vs. OTM

If Chase U wins, their debt is paid but if they lose, the have nothing. Chase dropkicks Price to start and hands it off to Hudson as Chase U gets to alternate on the arm. Price kicks his way to freedom and brings in Nima to stomp Chase down for two. A hard corner clothesline rocks Chase again but he fights out of the corner to bring Hudson back in to clean house. Chase comes back in but walks into a superkick, allowing an assisted spinebuster to give Nima the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point with Chase screwing up again to get his school into even more trouble. That’s going to be a major problem going forward but for now he’ll have to come up with a new plan. It’s still really weird to have Chase go from the lovable goon to this loser who screwed everything up and I’m still not sure why this is a good idea. At the same time, OTM gets the biggest win of their career and maybe they’re on the way to something bigger.

Here are some NXT Year End Award winners:

Tag Team Of The Year: Creed Brothers
Female Superstar Of The Year: Tiffany Stratton
Male Superstar Of The Year: Ilja Dragunov

Creeds and Stratton make sense and Dragunov’s only competition was Carmelo Hayes so these all work.

Trick Williams is thinking about pushing his title match back due to Ilja Dragunov’s injury. Carmelo Hayes tells him no way and says take your shot, because its not Williams fault that Dragunov is hurt.

Heritage Cup: Josh Briggs vs. Noam Dar

Dar, with the Meta Four, is defending. Round One begins as the much taller Briggs taunts Dar with a test of strength offer before tossing Dar into the corner. Briggs slams him down and gets two off a splash before a running shoulder gets the same. A powerbomb is loaded up but time expires before Briggs can drop him as the round ends. Round Two begins with a Boss Man Slam giving Briggs two. Briggs powers out of a guillotine choke but gets caught in a triangle choke but that’s broken up as well. A hard clothesline gives Briggs the first fall at 1:15 of the round and 4:58 overall.

We take a break and come back with the two of them slugging it out on the apron. Briggs misses a big boot against the barricade though and Dar kicks him in the face as the round ends. Round Four begins with Dar kicking him in the face again and then does it a third time for two. Briggs is back with a chokeslam for two of his own but Dar goes after the knee. Some strikes to the face set up the kneebar but Briggs gets to the rope. Lash Legend hits Briggs with a bucket for two so Briggs grabs said bucket and hits Dar for the DQ at 2:47 of the round. By rule, Dar automatically retains at 12:48 overall.

Rating: C+. Well at least the ending was different. My biggest issue with these matches is they tend to go the same way so points for switching something up for once. That being said, Dar really needs to drop the Cup to someone else already, just to freshen things up a bit at least. Briggs wouldn’t really have fit as the conquering hero, but someone needs to get the thing off of Dar already.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are in the back, with Frazer talking about how glad he is Bron Breakker isn’t Superstar of the Year. Frazer: “He’s behind me isn’t he?” That would be correct and a match is made for later.

Cora Jade vs. Karmen Petrovic

Jade stole Petrovic’s to set this up and whips Petrovic into the corner to start. Stomping and trash talking ensue but Petrovic kicks her way out of the corner. A spinning kick to the back of the head gets two but Jade is right back with the double arm DDT for the pin at 3:02.

Rating: C. Really short and to the point here, which is what it should have been. Petrovic is still really new around here and it wouldn’t make sense for her to beat Jade, who is back with a vengeance. Jade getting a push towards the title picture wouldn’t surprise me and this is a nice, albeit small, step in that direction.

Post match the beating almost continued but Gigi Dolin ran in for the save. Hopefully Jade can beat Dolin so we can move on from this for good.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Riley Osborne vs. Lexis King

Osborne works on the arm to start as Tre Bearhill comes out with a chair to stare at King. Back up and King takes over to work on the leg. A half crab is broken up so King kicks him in the face and hits a backbreaker. King takes him to the top but Bearhill offers a distraction, allowing Osborne to hit a shooting star press for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have much time to go anywhere here, but King’s weird path in NXT continues. He came in with hype, got paired with one of the biggest stars in NXT and is now seemingly feuding with one of the rookies over a spot in the Breakout Tournament. King was still protected in defeat and Osborne seems to be a project around here, but this doesn’t bode well for King’s future as he isn’t off to the hottest start around here.

Post match Bearhill goes after King, who bails out to the floor.

More awards:

Match Of The Year: Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes – No Mercy
Moment Of The Year: The Undertaker In NXT

Ava says Ilja Dragunov gets to decide if he defends the title next week or not.

Nathan Frazer vs. Bron Breakker

Frazer’s headlock doesn’t work in the slightest and Breakker smiles at him a lot. Instead Frazer tries to run the ropes but gets flattened by a shoulder. A headlock takeover actually does work for Frazer, at least until Breakker launches him into the corner. Frazer slips out of a suplex though and hits a running kick to the chest as we take a break.

Back with Breakker hitting a gutbuster for two and starting in on the ribs. Frazer fights up again and kicks Breakker to the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. Breakker is knocked into the steps but he’s fine enough to slam his way out of a high crossbody attempt. The spear is cut off by a spear so Breakker tries again, this time cutting Frazer in half for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: B-. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and that was on full display here, with both of them doing their parts rather well. Frazer looking desperate when he was going for covers sold how dangerous he knows Breakker to be, while Breakker continues to be a wrecking ball with all kinds of power. I know he’s practically main roster ready now, but giving him a bit more time in NXT to get in reps and be more and more seasoned is helping him so much.

Baron Corbin is watching in the back and seems impressed by Breakker.

The No Quarter Catch Crew wants the LWO next week.

Fallon Henley and Brooks Jensen give Josh Briggs a pep talk, with the team seemingly breaking up on good terms. That came a bit out of nowhere.

Arianna Grace talks to Ava about Roxanne Perez slapping her last week. As a result, Ava makes Perez vs. Grace for next week.

Lyra Valkyria and Blair Davenport have a face to face interview before next week’s title match. They accuse each other of hiding, with Valkyria saying she was beating Becky Lynch while Davenport was jumping people in the parking lot. Davenport has seen Valkyria’s rise but will be the reason for her fall. This was short but intense.

Breakout Tournament Semifinals: Oba Femi vs. Tavion Heights

The stronger Femi powers him down to start and drops a jumping knee for two. A backbreaker has Heights in more trouble and it’s time to work on Heights’ arm. Femi hits a running charge in the corner for two but Heights is right back with an AA into a suplex. Femi blasts him with a clothesline though and a pop up powerbomb finishes for Femi at 4:07.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a surprise as Heights has been pushed rather hard on NXT LVL Up, though Femi is an absolute monster. Heights is going to have his day, but Femi being the one who wrecks everything in front of him makes sense. Femi vs. Osborne should be a heck of a showdown in the finals as it has the power vs. speed dynamic, but this feels like something of an upset.

Ilja Dragunov arrives and wants to talk to Trick Williams.

We look at Dragunov’s injury, with Ridge Holland apologizing on Twitter. More from Holland next week.

Joe Gacy vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is at ringside. They start fast with Gacy being sent outside, where Coffey hits a suicide dive. The fans chant for JOE as Coffey drops an elbow for two back inside. Gacy fights out of the corner and hits some running forearms, followed by a big dive to the floor. Back in and a release Rock Bottom gives Gacy two as Hank Walker and Tank Ledger come out to brawl with Gallus. The distraction lets Gacy hit the Upside Down for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. NXT is going to pus Gacy no matter what and I can at least take this more than another cult deal. I’m still not sure what Gacy’s deal is at this point but they’re certainly trying something new with him. Beating Coffey feels like a big deal and as long as Gacy doesn’t build up followers, it could be a lot worse.

The LWO is ready for the No Quarter Catch Crew next week. Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice come in, with Lopez being happy to see her old friends while Vice seems totally uninterested.

We run down next week’s card.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak

NXT Underground, meaning no ropes and a bunch of wrestlers around the ring. Anything goes but you can only win by knockout or submission. Thorpe goes for the arm to start but Dijak fights out, only to get caught in a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well and Dijak unloads with right hands. Dijak tosses him out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Thorpe in big trouble and being sent back inside. Thorpe fights up and snaps off a German suplex, followed by a brainbuster. Dijak is still up so Thorpe grabs a choke, with Dijak dropping back onto him or the break. That’s broken up as well and Dijak scores with the spinning boot. Another such boot is broken up with Thorpe’s kick to the face before Thorpe suplexes him to the floor.

Dijak lands on his feet though and hits a quick Feast Your Eyes but Thorpe is still in it. Thorpe drops him ribs first onto the apron but Dijak grabs the leather strap. The big right hand is blocked though and Thorpe hits Manifest Destiny (DDT), which still isn’t enough for the win.

Thorpe grabs the strap and whips away before slapping on another choke. Dijak rams him into the post for the break but a powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana to the floor. An elbow off the apron sets up another Manifest Destiny on the floor but Dijak is still in it. Another choke goes on but Dijak climbs the steps next to the announcers’ table, only to have Dijak Manifest Destiny him through the table for the win at 15:48.

Rating: B. The unique rules and setup take some getting used to but they had a hard hitting fight and that’s what it needed to be. This felt like the big ending to the feud as Thorpe gets a big boost. I’m not sure how long it is going to last but at least they had a good fight, with Dijak looking strong in defeat, as always.

We get a sitdown faceoff between Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams. Trick won’t hold back at New Year’s Evil and signs, but says we can push the match back if Dragunov needs more time to recover. Dragunov says no one can stop him and takes off the neck brace before signing. An intense handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show covered a lot of stuff and the main event helped boost it up a lot. They were in a weird place here as there is only so much that you can make feel big with the major show coming next week. New Year’s Evil is looking very good/important and this show did a nice job of setting things up for next week. Another rather nice show this week, with a variety of stuff being covered in just over two hours.

Results
OTM b. Chase U – Assisted spinebuster to Chase
Noam Dar b. Josh Briggs via DQ when Briggs used a bucket
Cora Jade b. Karmen Petrovic – Double arm DDT
Riley Osborne b. Lexis King – Shooting star press
Bron Breakker b. Nathan Frazer – Spear
Oba Femi b. Tavion Heights – Pop up powerbomb
Joe Gacy b. Joe Coffey – Upside Down
Eddy Thorpe b. Dijak – Manifest Destiny through the announcers’ table

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NXT
Date: December 5, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means we have one spot left in both of the Iron Survivor Challenge matches. Those will likely be filled in tonight and that should make for some interesting matches to get us to Saturday. Other than that, the rest of the Deadline card could use a final push so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Fallon Henley vs. Kiana James

Jacy Jayne is here with Hail. Perez and James brawl to start, which continues a fight they had at the Performance Center earlier this week. With James down on the floor, the other three fight over a test of strength until James and Perez brawl outside. Henley hits a suicide dive but gets dropped by James as we take a break.

Back with the Tower Of Doom (with Hail getting the worst of things) but Perez crossbodies James down. Pop Rox is broken up so Perez knocks James to the floor again. The announcers’ table is loaded up with Perez and James crashing off the barricade and through said table. That leaves Henley to Shining Wizard Hail for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. This was more about Perez vs. James and that is not a bad thing, especially with Henley getting one of the bigger wins of her career. She hasn’t had the greatest success rate but she seems like she is capable of doing so much. That leaves Hail in the cold, but she has the whole Chase U ordeal in front of her anyway. Good opener here, as they kept the action going.

Lyra Valkyria is ready for whomever comes out of the Iron Survivor Challenge. Lola Vice comes in to tease cashing in her title shot tonight, though Tatum Paxley pops in for a threat of her own.

Here is Wes Lee, on a cane, for a chat. He was looking forward to winning the North American Title back but the fans supporting him will not bring back the feeling in his legs. He is going to need surgery and time and he isn’t sure when you will see him again. No matter what though, he will be back. This is not a goodbye, but a see you later.

Cue Dominik Mysterio to say Lee is hurt again and he’ll have to be gone for so long. Dominik says he’ll have a night off but Lee says not so fast. Rey Mysterio pops up on screen to say that Dominik will be defending the title at Deadline, with Rey there in person. Dominik will be defending against….Dragon Lee, who comes in to chase Dominik off. Well that’s awful, and hopefully Lee is back to full health sooner than later.

Kiana James is in the trainer’s room and wants to get her hands on Roxanne Perez again. Cue Perez for the brawl.

The Men’s Breakout Tournament begins next week.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They go with the grappling to start and Vice takes her down for a hip attack to the head. Paxley catapults her throat first into the ropes for two and a spinebuster out of the corner gets the same. The body scissors keeps Vice down but she pulls Paxley into a quickly broken kneebar. Vice strikes her into the corner for a hip attack and two, followed by a spinning kick to the head for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. They kept it quick and to the point here with Vice picking up a win, but at least Paxley got in some offense of her own to keep it from being a squash. The point here was building Vice up on the way to her title match though and that worked well enough. If nothing else, a good kick to the head is a nice way to make a champion feel threatened.

Of note: during that match, commentary announced that Wes Lee’s recovery time from back surgery is 8-12 months.

Last week, Axiom and Nathan Frazer didn’t quite agree on Frazer’s loss and agreed to fight again. Granted they’ll be friends afterwards.

Baron Corbin isn’t worried about Ilja Dragunov tonight.

NXT Anonymous shows a video from October 17 of Trick Williams leaving Carmelo Hayes, who texted someone after he left.

Joe Gacy annoys commentary.

Alpha Academy vs. Meta Four

Dar backs Gable up to the ropes to start but gets slammed down for his efforts. Mensah comes in and gets chopped a few times, followed by an armdrag into an armbar. It’s off to Dupri for a suplex to Legend before Otis comes in to suplex Mensah and Dar. Everyone brawls on the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Gable suplexing Dar and it’s back to Otis to wreck more people. Mensah gets crushed with an elbow so it’s back to Legend….who slams Otis in quite the impressive feat. Dupri comes in and suplexes Legend for two, only to have Otis catch Legend on the floor. That leaves Dupri to dive onto the pile, leaving Gable to ankle lock Dar for the tap at 11:07.

Rating: B-. This was a fun match and they kept things going the whole time. That’s all you need from a match like this, with Legend slamming Otis being a rather awesome moment. Gable beating Dar in the end should set him up for another Heritage Cup win and my goodness it is long overdue or him to win the title, as Dar has held that thing for the better part of ever.

Gallus ran into Tank Ledger and Hank Walker at the bar, where a challenge was made for next week.

Ava leaves Shawn Michaels’ office and announces that Kiana James vs. Roxanne Perez is on for Deadline. To make sure it’s violent, we’ll put them inside a cage.

All five entrants in the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge (Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, Blair Davenport, Kelani Jordan, Fallon Henley) are in the ring to say why they are going to win. Stratton says she is the favorite in the match and the future because she sees four participation trophies and one winner. Jordan knows she’s an underdog but no one here has ever been in an Iron Survivor Challenge either.

Legend doesn’t like any of them but she’s been training with Noam Dar and knows about winning multiple falls. Davenport brings up the women she has injured and threatens to be even more vicious. Henley offers to beat them all up. They all argue, Byron Saxton gets annoyed that they’re arguing, and the big brawl breaks out. This was to the point and Legend continues to be one of the most annoying humans in wrestling history.

Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer

They start fast and trade flips with neither being able to get very far. Axiom catches him with a sliding German suplex but dives into a nice superkick for two. Frazer is sent outside for the big dive but the Iron Survivor Challenge women fight to the ring and it’s a no contest at 2:06.

The brawl continues until Nikkita Lyons runs out to deck Davenport.

Andre Chase hosts a Chase U assembly to explain the situation. Chase himself put them in this position and the school is officially on academic probation. Any students who enrolled after the investigation began will no longer be eligible for financial aid. Thea Hail wants to know how much Chase owes, with Chase saying it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a loan plus interest because he went through a third party.

Chase promises to get the school out of debt and we get some suggestions to make money. Like a bake sale! A car wash! A crash course on avoiding financial crisis (a male student suggests this and Jacy Jayne has to get Thea Hail’s attention back)! Chase promises the debt will be paid. This is a story that is going to see more and more revealed week by week and that makes it more interesting. We still need to know who Chase owes and how Tony D’Angelo/Stacks tie into everything, though that might be one in the same detail.

Trick Williams wants answers from Carmelo Hayes about the footage from earlier. Hayes will answer after this.

Lexis King says the camera always finds him but he’s not going to interfere in Carmelo Hayes’ match, because he doesn’t mess with his friends’ matches.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey vs. Eddy Thorpe

Thorpe is coming in with bad ribs so Coffey goes right after them. Hayes cuts that off, leaving Bate and Coffey to slug it out. Coffey swings Bate to no avail so it’s Hayes coming back in for a springboard spinning clothesline to Thorpe. Everyone goes to the corner, with Thorpe hitting a double high crossbody. All four are down and we take a break.

Back with Thorpe stealing a cover on bate for two with Coffey making the save. Thorpe’s brainbuster gets the same on Bate with Coffey saving again. Thorpe goes to the floor to drop Bate again but charges into a spinebuster onto the steps. Back in and Hayes grabs a top rope sunset flip to Coffey to send Bate flying. A Codebreaker hits Bate for two but Coffey knocks Hayes out of the air. Bats grabs a quick Tyler Driver 97 to pin Coffey and go to Deadline at 11:10.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the earlier match in that they kept things moving and didn’t waste time with a bunch of filler. Bate is always a safe choice to put near the title picture as he can be elevated into a main event spot out of nowhere. Hayes already has Williams to worry about and Coffey vs. Thorpe could be a nice feud as well. Good stuff again here, with the right choice for the winner.

Post match Bate promises violence on Saturday, when Dijak interrupts. After kicking the still injured Thorpe down again, Dijak threatens Bate but Bron Breakker interrupts. We get the usual threats but here is Josh Briggs to say he likes being underrated. Trick Williams comes out as well and the brawl is on.

Post break, Williams asks Carmelo Hayes if he sent the text to Lexis King to take him out. Hayes again denies it and says he would never work with King. To prove it, Hayes will take King out at Deadline (again through Ava, who seems to be some new liaison to Shawn Michaels).

Here are Baron Corbin and Ilja Dragunov for a face to face chat. Corbin promises to win the title and mocks the size difference. Dragunov is ready to fight but says he’s containing himself because if he lets himself go now, there will be no title match at Deadline. Dragunov accuses Corbin of wanting the title to keep up his obsession with materialistic possessions. That sends Corbin into a nice rant about how he’s been around for eight years through ups and downs.

Corbin knows Dragunov is about to lose it because he misses his family and tells Dragunov to do something about it. He even loads up the table in the corner so Dragunov can drop him but nothing happens. Corbin calls him a coward, so Dragunov….hugs him, saying that the only person who can destroy the dragon is the dragon himself. Corbin is confused to….well almost end the show, as the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge participants brawl to ringside. Breakker spears Williams through the table to end the show.

That was a very different way to do things and I really like Dragunov turning the tables on Corbin. At the same time, there might be something in a Corbin face run down the line. That promo about always being here no matter what had a lot of potential in it and I could see people cheering him if he did more like that at some point.

Overall Rating: B+. I’ve said this many times before but this is where NXT shines. They ha a bunch of things to cover here and did every single one of them, from making me want to see where everything is going. They added to the two Iron Survivor Challenges, unfortunately had to change a title match, pushed the rest of the card and furthered some stories for after Deadline. That is one heck of a way to spend two hours and they even had a bunch of good wrestling. Very nice show this week, and hopefully Deadline can live up to the hype.

Results
Fallon Henley b. Thea Hail, Roxanne Perez and Kiana James – Shining Wizard to Hail
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning kick to the head
Alpha Academy b. Meta Four – Ankle lock to Dar
Axiom vs. Nathan Frazer went to a no contest when the Iron Survivor challenge women brawled at ringside
Tyler Bate b. Carmelo Hayes, Eddy Thorpe and Joe Coffey – Tyler Driver 97 to Coffey

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NXT LVL Up
Date: December 1, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Blake Howard

We’re back to whatever is classified as normal around here after last week’s kind of random Best Of show. It did a nice job of showing that some wrestlers who started around here do get to move up the ladder. Maybe some of the stars around here can do that as well, even if it could take some time. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Von Wagner vs. Luca Crusifino

Wagner, with Mr. Stone, throws Luca down to start and hits a running shoulder. Luca’s chop has as much effect as you would imagine and a middle rope forearm to the head drops Luca again. A quick neckbreaker does get Luca out of trouble and we hit the neck crank. That’s broken up and Wagner sends him flying with a belly to back toss. Wagner powerbombs him for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. This is how LVL Up can be made that much better. Wagner didn’t have anything going on with the regular NXT this week so throw him out here to make LVL Up feel bigger. It’s not a complicated idea and he won a quick match over a loud mouthed heel. Do more stuff like this and the show might be more interesting, or at least less boring.

Brinley Reece is a former cheerleader and fitness coach who can’t wait to start in NXT.

Brinley Reece vs. Elektra Lopez

Lopez has Lola Vice in her corner. Reece’s shoulder bounces off of Lopez to start before Lopez drops her without much effort. Back up and Reece grabs the armbar for a bit before Lopez hits a clothesline. The chinlock goes on to keep Reece down, only to have her fight up with a rather basic comeback. Moonsaults knees and a TKO give Reece two but Vice offers a distraction. Lopez grabs a chokebomb for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. Another not so great match here, with Reece getting her feet wet and little more. There is only so much you can get out of a five minute match with a decent chunk of that being spent in a chinlock. What matters here is getting Reece out there though, even if it is the first step on a long road.

Tavion Heights vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak has his friends with him. Heights flips away from Gulak to start and grabs the ankle for some twisting. A slam gives Heights two but Gulak sends him outside for a cheap shot from Myles Borne. The leglock has Heights in more trouble before Gulak flips him over into a hammerlock. The chinlock doesn’t work as well for Gulak as Heights powers his way to freedom. Gulak is fine enough to hit a nice looking top rope clothesline but Heights starts the real comeback. A Sling Blade drops Gulak but his friends offer a distraction, allowing Gulak to hit a right hand (A right hand?) for the pin at 6:10.

Rating: C. It’s always weird to see a right hand (save for from some certain people) win a match but that’s what they went with here. Gulak continues to be the good hand around here and having him teaming with other amateur/technical wrestlers who cheat to win is a good way to go. Not a great match, but it seems that they’re wanting to do something with Heights.

Overall Rating: C. Well, there were bigger names but they didn’t exactly bring up the quality of the matches. This was a pretty dull show, but at the same time, I can go for changing things up a bit. We’ve seen the same LVL Up crew have the same matches for months now so even half an hour of almost squashes from bigger names was a nice switch. It might not be what we need every week, but I’ll take it for a one off.

Results
Von Wagner b. Luca Crusifino – Powerbomb
Elektra Lopez b. Brinley Reece – Chokebomb
Drew Gulak b. Tavion Heights – Right hand

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NXT LVL Up
Date: November 24, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Host: Blake Howard

It’s nice to see some changes around here as the show had been so dull for such a long time. The show isn’t that much better now, but at least it does feel a bit tighter and more entertaining in some ways. Granted I have no reason to believe that will last, but I’ll take what I can get. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

This week is especially different, as it’s a Best Of 2023 show.

Eddy Thorpe talks about his debut on LVL Up on February 17. He had been around for a few weeks and wanted to make an impact against someone he respected.

Dante Chen vs. Eddy Thorpe

The debuting Thorpe is better known as Karl Fredericks in New Japan. Chen’s headscissors doesn’t get him very far and we have an early standoff. A cradle gives Chen two and he takes Thorpe down into an armbar. Back up and Thorpe hits a quick spinning crossbody and grabs a seated abdominal stretch, followed by the standing version for a bonus. Chen fights out and hits a running kick to the face, only to get caught with a running boot to the face. An implant DDT gives Thorpe the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but the important thing is that Thorpe won. Far too often, NXT will debut a new star on this show and then have them lose to the “star”. Chen is still the resident jobber around here and it makes all the sense in the world to have Thorpe, who might become something in NXT, beat him in his debut. At least they have something logical with this one so they got off on the right foot.

We look at Lola Vice winning the Women’s Breakout Tournament over Kelani Jordan.

Vice talks about being ready for Ivy Nile on April 28 and how she doesn’t need any of us.

Ivy Nile vs. Lola Vice

They fight over a rather aggressive lockup to start until Nile rides her to the mat. Vice is right back with a kick to the ribs, followed by a running hip attack in the corner. A double arm crank is broken up though and Nile kicks her down again. Nile grabs a gutwrench suplex and the Diamond Chain Lock knocks Vice out cold for the win at 4:18.

Rating: C+. Vice has all of the tools in the world to be something, including the charisma that makes her feel like a star. Throw in the MMA background and all of the potential is right there. On the other hand you have Nile, who still feels like she could be something in the division as soon as she is given the chance.

Kelani Jordan was excited for her debut match on May 12 against Wendy Choo….which she found out about when she was at her niece’s funeral. Well dang that makes things sad.

Wendy Choo vs. Kelani Jordan

They fight over a lockup to start with Jordan’s early wristlock not getting him very far. A headlock takeover has a bit more success but Choo reverses into a headscissors. Choo grabs a quick takedown for two, followed by doing it again for the same, which leaves Choo looking a bit surprised. A kick to the face and a running elbow drop gets two but Jordan fights up and elbows her down as well. Jordan’s springboard spinning crossbody connects for another near fall but Choo is back with the Snooze Button (full nelson slam) for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. Jordan didn’t do anything overly flashy here but she looked solid enough with the basics. You can see the athleticism and athletic background, which will be more than enough of a foundation to go somewhere. Choo still feels like she is finding her feet after returning, which is what a show like this can help her do.

Tavion Heights talks about throwing everything he had against Axiom on July 14.

Tavion Heights vs. Axiom

Heights wrestles him down but Axiom is fine enough to take over on the mat. A headscissors doesn’t last long on Heights and they’re back up for a standoff. Axiom grabs it again and holds Heights down a bit before kicking him in the head for two. Back up and Heights blasts him with a clothesline before a gutwrench suplex gets two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Axiom is back up and hits a dropkick for a breather. Heights can’t hit a German suplex so Axiom sends him outside for a big dive. Back in and Heights gets two off a doctor bomb but Axiom knees him in the head. The Golden Ratio finishes Heights at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a heck of a match, especially for around here, as Heights was looking like a power monster and Axiom was as smooth as ever. I was getting into this one and wondering who was going to win here. You don’t get to see something like that very often and it worked really well. Good main event.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have a Best Of show for the night after Thanksgiving, but it’s not like this show has any real rules to follow. At the same time, it’s nice to show that some of these wrestlers have indeed moved up the charts a bit, which is the point around here. It’s not a great show or even a good one, but it was a nice change of pace for a one off.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: November 7, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Halloween Havoc and now it is time to start getting ready for Deadline. That will be the case this week, as a group of legends will begin considering the participants in the qualifying matches for the Iron Survival Challenge. Other than that, we have the Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker showdown. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week.

Heritage Cup: Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

Tozawa, with the rest of the Alpha Academy (to counter Dar’s Meta Four), is challenging. Round one begins with Tozawa grabbing the wrist but getting caught in a front facelock. Dar rolls Tozawa up for two and kicks away but Tozawa fires up and kicks him in the head. The Meta Four offer a distraction though and Dar hits a superplex but can’t cover in time. Round two begins with Tozawa striking away but he misses a kick. That’s enough for Dar to grab a rollup and go up 1-0 at 30 seconds of the round and 4:02 overall.

Dar gets in a cheap shot between rounds and we take a break. Back with Round three ending after the time runs out but Dar elbows him in the head a few times after the bell. Round four begins with Dar hitting a running shot to the head for two but Tozawa escapes the ankle lock.

They go outside for a bit and come back in with Tozawa grabbing the ankle lock for the tap to tie it up at 1:39 of the round and 10:18 overall. Round five starts with Tozawa hitting some Helluva Kicks and something close to an angle slam for two. Tozawa blocks a kneebar and hits a German suplex but Lash Legend pulls Dar away from the top rope backsplash. The Nova Roller retains the title at 2:22 of the round and 13:14 overall.

Rating: C+. I for one am shocked that Dar retained the Cup 2-1 as it’s not like he has ever done that before in the history of his reign. I’m incredibly tired of this whole thing as it has been done to death and even when Dar lost the Cup, he got it back due to reasons of pathetic. They’ve covered just about everything they can with this stuff and it would be nice to see them move on already.

Post match Oro Mensah goes after Tozawa but the Alpha Academy makes the save.

Shawn Michaels has allowed Mick Foley to pick some Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches. Therefore tonight it’s Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton and Dijak vs. Tyler Bate.

Lola Vice brags about her win last week but Kelani Jordan says Elektra Lopez plays a big role. Other women argue until Roxanne Perez comes in for the Spanish argument. This was the latest edition of “women who can’t act recite lines that no human would ever use”.

Here is Lyra Valkyria for her first comments as Women’s Champion. She says people will tell you to never meet your heroes but those people have never met Becky Lynch. A lot of people want the title but here is Xia Li from Raw to interrupt. She reminds Valkyria what happened to Becky last night on Raw, so Valkyria says bring it.

Tyler Bate is ready for Dijak.

Fallon Henley is ready for Tiffany Stratton and she’ll do it on her own.

The Alpha Academy will be back next week to be on Supernova Sessions when Drew Gulak and company come in. Insults are exchanged, with Otis telling Gulak to stretch this. The result is Gulak vs. Otis tonight.

A referee says Shawn Michaels has ordered him that there will be a winner between Von Wagner and Bron Breakker tonight.

Iron Survivor Challenge: Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley

They fight over a lockup to start with Henley pulling her away from the ropes for a crash. A half crab sends Henley bailing to the ropes before she goes up top. Henley superplexes her right back down for two and the half crab goes on again. That’s broken up again so Henley hits her in the face as we take a break.

Back with Henley kicking her in the head for two but Stratton picks her up for a LAUNCH through the ropes. They get back in with a sitout spinebuster giving Stratton two, followed by a nasty looking leg crank. Henley gets dropped in the corner but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses. Stratton kicks her into the buckle though and a chop block sets up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. I like Henley a good bit but it wasn’t her place to win here. Stratton is a far bigger star and it makes a lot more sense to put her forward into the big Deadline match. That match is going to need a big lineup and Stratton being in it makes sense. That being said, I could go for more of Henley as she has a certain spark to her that would work quite well.

The dancing Wes Lee is back and has a list of things to accomplish, but here is Baron Corbin to interrupt. Corbin mocks Lee, who says Ilja Dragunov is going to beat Corbin up.

Bron Breakker says Von Wagner needs to be worried.

Dijak is ready for Tyler Bate.

Von Wagner vs. Bron Breakker

Mr. Stone is here with Wagner. The fight is on fast with Wagner slugging away and kicking him down on the floor. Back in and Wagner hammers away until Breakker knocks him away. The beating is on and Breakker grabs the Recliner, only to have Wagner drive him into the corner for the escape. A big boot gives Wagner two and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Breakker is back with a low blow though and it’s time to go after Stone. Wagner makes the save but gets taken down. The spear finishes Wagner at 5:28.

Rating: C. They did the right thing here by having it be a fight instead of a match as this is a personal feud. It was also right for Breakker to go over, as not only is he a bigger star than Wagner but he’s coming in at full strength. Not much of a match, but they beat each other up, as they should have done.

Post match Stone comes in with a chair shot to Breakker and the fans know pain is coming. Wagner makes the save and powerbombs Breakker through the announcers’ table.

Carmelo Hayes looks back at Trick Williams’ return last week but once again denies being the attacker. Williams wants answers tonight and Hayes will give them to him.

The Brawling Brutes walk the streets and say they grew up here, just like OTM. They’ll fight next week.

Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice vs. Roxanne Perez/Kelani Jordan

Hold on as here is Arianna Grace to say she wishes everyone luck. Lopez takes Perez down and grabs a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Jordan comes in to dropkick Lopez but a running hip attack in the corner cuts that off fast. A crossbody gets Jordan out of trouble and it’s back to Perez to pick up the pace. The villains come in for stereo hip attacks to the head but Perez is right back up. Jordan gets to come back in and clean house with Perez hitting Pop Rox on Lopez. With Perez taking Vice out on the floor, Jordan hits the split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C. This match had a fast pace but they didn’t exactly have much of a flow going on. It was a string of people being knocked down and getting right back up to do something else. Jordan gets the win to save some face as she seems to be moving up the ladder rather quickly around here. I could go for Perez having a more important feud though, as she hasn’t been doing anything significant as of late.

Post match Grace tries to announce the winners but gets jumped from behind by Karmen Petrovic.

Joe Gacy talks about anger issues.

Ilja Dragunov talks about how hard it was to beat Carmelo Hayes last week but now he’s waiting for Baron Corbin.

Corbin is watching in the back and mocks Dragunov, plus some tag teams who don’t think much of him.

Otis vs. Drew Gulak

All of their friends are here too. Otis shakes his way out of a headlock to start and powers Gulak into the corner. A missed charge sends Otis into the post though and Gulak grabs a triangle choke back inside. The powerbomb escape lets Otis escape with a powerbomb and a hard belly to back suplex drops Gulak again. Some spinning back elbows set up the Caterpillar and a jackknife finishes Gulak at 4:25.

Rating: C. This was little more than a “hey here’s a fan favorite in a short match” match and that’s perfectly fine. Otis has gotten over with his weird antics and he beat up someone who doesn’t do much around here. There is a good chance that we’ll see more from these guys and their friends and that might not be a bad idea.

Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James don’t like Roxanne Perez or Fallon Henley but they both know who is winning Iron Survivor.

Jacy Jayne is at Chase U when some mafia looking people bring in a letter for Andre Chase. With the mafia gone, Jayne opens it and sees something shocking but Chase comes in to take it away. Duke Hudson and Thea Hail come in but Jayne and Chase don’t say anything about what just happened.

Chase dismisses class (because this happened in front of a class) and after everyone leaves, he opens the letter and looks worried. So does the Family own the school or something? Vic: “Sounds like we may have a rematch next week for the tag team gold.” 1. How did he get that out of what we saw? 2. Hudson already said they Tony D’Angelo/Stacks would get a rematch.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Tyler Bate vs. Dijak

Bate goes right after him to start but Dijak nails a right hand. Some boots to the face (as in Bate grabs his own boot and swings it into Dijak’s head) stagger Dijak and Bate sends him to the floor for the big dive. Not that it matters as Dijak swings him over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Bate hitting something like a fisherman’s superplex but walking into High Justice for two. Bate is fine enough to hit the airplane spin for two and they trade shots to the face. The rebound clothesline gives Bate two but Dijak launches him with a release suplex. Dijak goes up but gets flipped backwards…and sticks the landing, setting up the cyclone boot for two. Neither finisher can connect so Bate goes up, only to dive into Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here and that shouldn’t be a surprise. I like Dijak going over in something of a surprise, though again it wouldn’t shock me to see Bate finding a way into the match. For now though, you had Dijak’s pure power against Bate’s variety of stuff and it made for a good fight. They were laying it in near the end and that made things all the better.

The other legends who will make qualifying match picks: Lita, JBL and Jerry Lawler.

Here is Carmelo Hayes, who asks Trick Williams to come out here and talk about what is happening between them. Williams comes out and Hayes says that he understands what Williams is going through. Hayes talks about their history and says there is no him without Williams, who cuts him off. Williams says he did everything to make Hayes a star, with Hayes saying it worked.

That’s true, but Hayes was the only one winning. Where was Hayes when it was Williams’ turn to win? Williams seems to ask him about the attack but Hayes cuts him off and talks about how much he has praised Williams over the years. That sends Williams into a bit of a rant about Hayes not being there when Williams needs him. Williams didn’t see who attacked him but all he knows is he didn’t get his shot at the NXT Title.

Hayes is stuck on Williams not seeing who did it, so Williams flat out asks if Hayes did it. Hayes asks if Williams wants the truth….but here is Lexis King to interrupt. Williams and Hayes tell him to mind his own business, though King says it seems we know who did it. It might be someone else trying to make his name though, and King wants Williams to say what everyone else is thinking. Williams swings at King but hits Hayes by mistake. Vic: “He was aiming for King….wasn’t he?” Williams hugs Hayes, who doesn’t look happy to end the show. That added something, though I’m not sure how interested people are in King.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of a mixed bag, as the wrestling wasn’t the best, but they covered quite a bit of stuff. We had a title match, a grudge match and some qualifying matches, all with the big Hayes/Williams deal at the end. It might not be the most important edition, but I want to see where these things go and that is a good sign on the way to Deadline.

Results
Noam Dar b. Akira Tozawa 2-1
Tiffany Stratton b. Fallon Henley – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Bron Breakker b. Von Wagner – Spear
Roxanne Perez/Kelani Jordan b. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice – Split legged moonsault to Lopez
Otis b. Drew Gulak – Jackknife powerbomb
Dijak b. Tyler Bate – Feast Your Eyes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NXT
Date: October 10, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

Normally this is where I would start up the intro but I’m not sure if there is room given all of the special guest stars on the show. This very well may be the most stacked NXT in history as John Cena, Asuka, Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman are all confirmed, with a potential Undertaker visit as well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. After soaking in some cheers, Rhodes talks about the Women’s Breakout Tournament. Since it has been so cool, we need to have a men’s tournament, meaning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be returning at the conclusion of the men’s tournament! He’s not done though, as Shawn Michaels has made him the guest General Manager for the night!

Cue Ilja Dragunov to welcome Cody to the show and say how much he appreciates what Cody is bringing tonight. Now it’s Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio interrupting, with Dominik saying the people are here to see him. Dragunov wants to know why Dominik is here when no one likes him. Oh and Dragunov’s father used to work in a prison, so he knows how to turn Dominik into a puppy.

Dominik issues a challenge for the title tonight, but Cody thinks that means Dominik doesn’t want the North American Title on the line. Dragunov is ready to smash Dominik so Cody makes the title match. Oh and let’s have a special guest referee. It’s not Cody, but rather LA KNIGHT!

Asuka vs. Roxanne Perez

Shotzi comes out to join commentary as Perez gets in a quick takedown but has to duck a kick to the head. Perez grabs a headlock as Shotzi announces that she and Scarlett will be hosting night one of Halloween Havoc. Asuka fights out and the fans let Perez know that she f’d up. Perez knocks her to the floor but the dive is cut off with a forearm. A missile dropkick gives Asuka two and the Kawada Kicks rock Perez again.

An armbar goes on as Shotzi is almost giddy over getting to be back for Halloween. Perez grabs a Russian legsweep and Asuka is sent outside, where a suicide dive drops her again. A middle rope crossbody gets two on Asuka but she’s right back up with a kick to the ribs. The Asuka Lock goes on but Perez flips backwards to escape. Instead Asuka kicks her in the head for the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C+. This was an example of a veteran being better than an up and coming star but it was more one sided than it needed to be. Perez got in some offense but it felt like Asuka was toying with her before finishing things off at the end. Asuka is a bigger deal and still active in WWE, but it might not have been the best idea to have Perez look terrified of her.

Post match respect is shown but Kiana James runs in to jump Perez. Shotzi makes the save.

Gallus gets fired up.

Tyler Bate and Butch get fired up. Ridge Holland comes in to fire both of them up.

Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes vs. Gallus

Pub Rules match, which appears to mean street fight. Gallus jumps them from being to start and the fight is on fast, with Booker saying it’s a fight instead of a match. Therefore, the weapons, including some pub items around ringside are rather logical. Butch stabs Joe’s finger with a dart and Holland trashcan lids Mark in the back. Holland isn’t done yet and blasts him with a fire extinguisher shot. Mark is put upside down in a trashcan so Bate can roll a bowling ball at his head.

Butch has hurt his leg on the floor and Joe headbutts him into the steps. Bate makes the save but gets dropped face first onto the apron. Gallus puts Butch through a table and we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the stomp onto Wolfgang’s arm, leaving everyone to stand up for the big slugout. Butch moonsaults down onto Mark as Joe and Wolfgang get caught in stereo airplane spins.

The good guys hit the stereo forearms to the chest, followed by stereo Bop And Bangs back inside. A German suplex gets two on Mark but Butch misses a slingshot dive. Instead Wolfgang hits a running flip dive in the general vicinity of Butch and Holland. Back in and Joe loads up a piledriver on Bate but instead turns it into a kind of standing Boston crab (that’s a new one).

Holland makes the save with a pool cue and the triple submissions have Gallus in trouble. All three are broken up and the fans are all approving. An enziguri/powerslam combination gets two on Butch so of course it’s table time. Holland backdrops Mark and Wolfgang outside but Joe is back in with a spinning high crossbody. All The Best For The Belles drops Butch but a mug to the face knocks Joe silly. A triple powerbomb through the table finishes Joe at 11:48.

Rating: B-. This was exactly as advertised and it worked well as a result. Sometimes you need to have two tams beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you got here. The standing Boston crab and triple powerbomb looked good and I had a lot of fun with this one. Good stuff here and I could go for more of Bate with the Brutes.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria, focusing on their similar histories in Ireland and paths to WWE. We see clips of them training together and wrestling in the same rings for a rather nice bonus to their story. They’re set for the NXT Women’s Title match in two weeks on the first night of Halloween Havoc.

Tegan Nox interrupts Valkyria, who says Nox was so close to winning the title last night. Nox says that’s why Valkyria’s title match has to wait, which doesn’t sit well with Valkyria.

Here is John Cena for a fired up entrance as the fans are singing his theme song. Cena talks about how this place is often described as the future but look at what is going on around here. LA Knight is a referee, Cody Rhodes is in charge and we just turned the place into a pub (he’s still waiting on his pint). It is his honor to be allowed to share this space with these people tonight and he’s not unique in that case.

That’s why Cody Rhodes and LA Knight are here, but we pause or a THANK YOU CENA chant. He thanks the fans for creating an environment that the WWE stars want to visit. Yes they are Smackdown and Raw, but WE ARE NXT. Cena jumped at the chance to be here when Carmelo Hayes called because they both believe in hustle, loyalty and respect, but here is Bron Breakker to interrupt. The fans give him a BRON BREAKKER SUCKS chant and Cena (“I’ve heard this song before!

It’s so much cooler when the lyrics are changed!”) thinks this place has turned into a karaoke bar. Breakker says the people are here to see him, but Cena says everyone knows the business is in Breakker’s blood. Anyone can see that he is athletically gifted, but anyone can see that he lacks respect. Cena calls this a teachable moment because he’s excited for Breakker’s match tonight. The handshake is offered but Breakker drops Cena, only to miss the spear. The AA doesn’t work either as Breakker leaves.

Cody Rhodes runs into Tony D’Angelo and Stacks, who have a problem. They want their next challengers and suggest a tag team battle royal for the next title shot. Rhodes likes the idea and the title match can take place at Halloween Havoc. Everyone seems pleased.

Baron Corbin thinks Ilja Dragunov is ducking him and says everyone around him is all the same. LA Knight’s music cuts him off though and it’s time for a title match.

NXT Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Dominik Mysterio

Only Dragunov is defending, Mysterio has Rhea Ripley in his corner and LA Knight is guest referee. Dragunov takes him down for a headlock to start but Dominik fights up and grabs one of his own. Ripley approves as Dominik slugs away, only to get chopped rather hard. That’s enough for Ripley to offer a distraction, meaning Dominik can get in a thumb to the eye to take over. We take a break and come back with Dragunov breaking up the Third Amigo.

The fans prefer the referee as Dragunov’s elbows give us a double knockdown. The 6 1 Line puts Dominik down and Dragunov grabs a waistlock to stay on the ribs. A suplex sends Dominik flying and Ripley is looking worried. Dominik manages his own chop in the corner and the fans think he has screwed up. Dragunov unloads on him in the corner but has to duck a quick 619 attempt.

A kick to the head rocks Dominik but he’s right back with the 619 (Vic: “This can’t be real.”) for two. Dragunov scores with a superplex, only to have Dominik roll out to the apron. That means a DDT can drop Dragunov onto said apron but he’s right back with the powerbomb. The H Bomb connects….and here is Finn Balor for a distraction. Knight gets rid of him so Ripley tries a belt shot to Dragunov. Trick Williams comes out to cut Ripley off, allowing Dragunov to hit Torpedo Moscow and retain at 11:58.

Rating: C+. This is a weird situation as there is very little reason to believe that Dominik can hang with Dragunov one on one. Therefore the interference was necessary, even if it made things that much more insane. That’s the right way to go here, as Dragunov needed another reason to believe that the title might be in danger. It’s good to see Dominik getting this far though and he was more than holding his own here. Knight was only around to do something in the end but the fans loved him, even if he took the focus away from the match more than once.

Post match Baron Corbin’s music hits but as he comes out, cue Dijak to kick Dragunov in the face. Dijak tells Corbin that he beat him to it.

John Cena and Carmelo Hayes share some respect in the back. Trick Williams comes in and Carmelo apologizes for not being there for him last week. Williams says it’s not the time for that because Cena is here. Cena: “You mean you can see me?” Williams and Hayes are going to get their titles back and Cena completes their catchphrase. With Hayes gone, Cena asks Williams if he’s ok, which he says he is. Williams does ask Cena when he knew it was his time. Cena: “Let’s talk.”

Earlier today, Paul Heyman tried to talk to Ava (who would be part of Roman Reigns’ family”.

Jade Cargill arrives and is greeted by Shawn Michaels.

Baron Corbin talks to Cody Rhodes in the back and requests a match with Ilja Dragunov or the title at Halloween Havoc. Instead, Cody makes it a triple threat with Corbin, Dijak and the winner of Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker. Baron isn’t happy, but Cody says booking isn’t easy.

Nathan Frazer and some others mock Dominik Mysterio for his loss. Rhea Ripley says Dominik is still champion so only his opinion matters.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Lola Vice vs. Dani Palmer

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They trade missed kicks to start and we get an early standoff. Vice takes her down into a headscissors and grinds away but Palmer fights up. Palmer tries a leapfrog but gets superkicked out of the air (that looked good). The running hip attack connects in the corner for two and the bodyscissors goes on. Palmer fights up and hits a middle rope spinning crossbody, only to miss a corkscrew moonsault (she landed on her feet). Vice pulls her into a triangle choke but Palmer flips over for two instead. Back up and Vice hits a kick to the head for the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much a back and forth match as much as a chance for both of them to get in a few of the things they’ve learned to do. That being said, both of them have talent to make them stand out. They’ll need some more seasoning though and that is going to take some time. Vice winning makes sense as she seems a bit further along, but Palmer looked fine out there as well.

We go to Chase U, where Thea Hail returns. Jacy Jayne told her to come back to class and she agreed, but only if Jacy came too. Jayne, in Chase U red and black, sits down as we hear about Halloween Havoc. The women start chattering and distract Chase (who even gets the location of this year’s Wrestlemania wrong). Then a student gets caught using his phone, sending Chase into a rant. Jayne gets yelled at as well, but she reveals that Chase and Duke Hudson are in next week’s tag team battle royal. Jayne says they’ll have so much fun.

Paul Heyman pops in as Bron Breakker is warming up. We get the hype speech, but Breakker says he doesn’t care who is in his way, because he’ll break them all. Breakker leaves and a pleased Heyman calls Roman Reigns.

We get the TV watching vignette, which reveals that he is the son of Brian Pillman. He talks about how many people talk about his dad, but he has no memories of him. His dad died when he was four and he doesn’t want to be a wrestler but there is no escaping this industry. Now he has to wreck havoc on this business, under the name of the man who really raised him. That man’s name was King, and so was his. Pillman Jr. looked so much like his dad here that it was hard to believe.

Various women come up to see Asuka until Tiffany Stratton interrupts, cutting off Fallon Henley in the process. Stratton tells Asuka to let her know if she needs anything and talks down to Henley again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker

John Cena and Paul Heyman are here too. Heyman gives Breakker quite the hyped up entrance, as you kind of knew he would do. Carmelo ducks to start as the fans keep singing. Breakker is fine enough to powerslam him out of the air and it’s time for the hard shoulders in the corner. Back up and Carmelo scores with a springboard clothesline for a needed breather as we take a break.

We come back with Breakker cranking away on the ribs. Breakker misses a charge in the corner but grabs something like a top rope DDT onto the turnbuckle. A fireman’s carry gutbuster gives Breakker two more so he loads up Cena’s finishing sequence. Carmelo cuts off the Five Knuckle Shuffle with a superkick. A suplex cutter gives Carmelo two as Heyman is panicking.

Carmelo goes up but Breakker runs the corner and hits a….something like a facebuster for two more. The gorilla press powerslam gives Breakker another near fall so it’s time to go outside. Breakker grabs the steps but Cena takes them away, just as Solo Sikoa comes out to brawl with Cena. Back in and Nothing But Net finishes Breakker at 12:03.

Rating: B. These two have good chemistry together and that was on display here. It’s a power vs. speed match and that’s going to work almost every time. They beat each other up with everything else going on around them, though Hayes winning makes more sense. Breakker still feels like he’s treading water until he leaves for the main roster, but that has felt like the case for a long time now.

Post match Breakker spears Carmelo down and says there is only one bada** in all of WWE…..and here is Undertaker (Biker Edition) to interrupt. Breakker calls him an old timer (my goodness the Steiner is strong in that voice) and Undertaker says Breakker will have a future. It’s just not today. Breakker gets chokeslammed, and Undertaker says there is always someone bigger and badder. Undertaker hugs Carmelo to end the show. Of all the people to do that to, Breakker was the only option they had?

Overall Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this show as it was more about the guest stars than anything going on with the regular cast. They set things up for next week but this was about Cena, Heyman, and everyone else who popped up as guest stars. That made for one of the more unique shows NXT has ever had, though I’m not sure if that is a good thing. The show wasn’t about what was going on but rather who was here, which made for a not exactly great show. Good enough, but only the main event was on that higher level.

Results
Asuka b. Roxanne Perez – Kick to the head
Tyler Bate/Brawling Brutes b. Gallus – Triple powerbomb through a table to Joe Coffey
Ilja Dragunov b. Dominik Mysterio – Torpedo Moscow
Lola Vice b. Dani Palmer – Kick to the head
Carmelo Hayes b. Bron Breakker – Nothing But Net

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: October 3, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with No Mercy and that means we are on the way to the two week spectacle that is Halloween Havoc. The big story is Ilja Dragunov taking the NXT Title from Carmelo Hayes, but Dominik Mysterio also lost the North American Title to Trick Williams. The latter has a rematch tonight and Rhea Ripley is back as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

We open with a long rematch from No Mercy.

Here is Becky Lynch, arm no longer in a sling, to open things up. She’s still not medically cleared to compete, but neither if Tiffany Stratton after the beating she gave her. Now she’s thinking towards the future though, and that is the first night of Halloween Havoc. She knows she has Tegan Nox first, but here is Lyra Valkyria to interrupt.

Valkyria talks about Becky making her NXT debut in 2014 and it was the first episode of the show she ever saw. It made her start training and she can’t believe how far Becky has taken Irish wrestling. Valkyria would love a title shot but here is Indi Hartwell to say she never lost the title. Roxanne Perez comes out (with Becky doing a motion of “come on down”) and says she wants the title back too. Becky says we’ll just do a triple threat for the Halloween Havoc title shot.

We look at the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament brackets:

Kelani Jordan
Izzy Dame

Arianna Grace
Jakara Jackson

Karmen Petrovic
Jaida Parker

Dani Palmer
Lola Vice

Tyler Bate/Butch vs. Gallus

Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Butch takes Mark down to start but Wolfgang gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. Wolfgang comes in but Butch takes over on his arm, allowing the tag to Bate and a double arm stomp. A double arm snap puts Mark on the floor and a double Bop and Bang puts Wolfgang outside too as we take a break. Back with Butch hitting the ten forearms to Mark and then diving on Joe. Bate comes in for the airplane spin to Wolfgang as everything breaks down. Butch hits a moonsault to the floor and Bate adds a dive. Back in and double butterfly powerbomb finishes Mark at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was more or less a squash as Gallus barely got in any major offense. That being said, losing to a team like British Strong Style is hardly a terrible result and Gallus going away a bit could be nice for the time being. At the very least, Bate and Butch going forward as a regular tag team has some serious potential.

Post match Gallus runs in for the beatdown but Ridge Holland makes the save.

Here is Ilja Dragunov for a chat (but first he slips on the ropes on the way in). After the MELO MISSED chant, Dragunov praises Carmelo Hayes and talks about how hard Hayes pushed him. This championship reign will be a symbol of unparalleled passion. Cue Trick Williams to interrupt, saying he’s here because he won a title at No Mercy too. Williams says he isn’t stopping, but here is a limping Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Is he slipping or is Williams thanking Dragunov after Hayes praised him for months?

Hayes talks about his history with Williams and praises him for his title win. Defending the title is another level, which has Williams asking if Hayes thinks he can’t do it. Hayes says that’s not what he means but Dragunov asks what Hayes did mean. Dragunov says this was a champions’ conversation but Hayes says Williams needs to be focus on Dominik Mysterio.

Cue Dominik, with Williams saying he’s going to take Dominik out tonight. Dominik accuses Williams of being 6’4 and 240lbs, but he’s still in Hayes’ shadow. Hayes offers to have Williams’ back tonight but Williams says he’s going to do it himself, which Hayes seems to understand.

Indi Hartwell vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria

For a title shot at Becky Lynch, on commentary, in three weeks. Indi misses a double clothesline to start and gets sent outside. That leaves Valkyria and Perez to go to the mat, with Perez rolling her up for two. Hartwell is back in and sends Valkyria outside, leaving Perez to roll her up for two as well. Perez spins around her into a headscissors to the floor but Valkyria breaks up a dive. Valkyria’s dropkick through the ropes hits Perez but Indi blocks another one. Perez dives onto Valkyria, only to get dropped by Indi as we take a break.

Back with Perez hitting a high crossbody on Indi and dropkicking Valkyria into the corner. A Russian legsweep gets two on Valkyria and hammers away on Indi but Valkyria dropkicks both of them down. Valkyria suplexes Perez for two but she’s right back with a super hurricanrana for two. Cue Kiana James to pull Perez to the floor but Lynch drops her. That leaves Valkyria to hit a top rope splash for the pin on Indi at 11:54.

Rating: B-. It has felt like Valkyria has been ready to become the new breakout star in NXT for a long time now and giving her the title shot against Lynch on the big stage will be a major step for her. I’m not sure if she wins the title, but she at least gets a chance. Perez has established herself as a player so the loss doesn’t really hurt her. I still don’t quite get the appeal of Hartwell, but she was perfectly fine here for the most part.

Post match Tegan Nox comes out to point at both of them.

Carmelo Hayes runs into Bron Breakker, who asks where Trick Williams was when Hayes lost.

Ilja Dragunov gets his side plates on the NXT Title when Baron Corbin comes in to remind Dragunov that he beat him not too long ago. He’s coming for the title.

Blair Davenport vs. Gigi Dolin

Dolin jumps her from behind during their entrances as ringside is still full of smoke. Back in and the bell rings with Dolin hammering away but Davenport cuts her off. A kick to the back gives Davenport two and they head outside again. Davenport misses a chair shot ad the referee takes it away again back inside. The distraction lets Dolin grab a rollup for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much and they were trying to cram in a bunch of stuff at once. Davenport has hit quite the wall in recent months and this was another hit for her. She’s still good as a villain, but after feeling like she should have jumped up the ranks, she’s losing to Gigi Dolin in less than four minutes. The match was mainly a way to have Davenport get more annoyed, meaning this will continue.

We look at Roxanne Perez winning the Women’s Breakout Tournament last year.

Kiana James is tired of people hearing about Perez because she was in the tournament as well. If Perez wants to fight her, she has to win a match next week. Against Asuka.

We meet the roster of the Women’s Breakout Tournament.

Women’s Breakout Tournament First Round: Izzy Dame vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan’s sunset flip attempt is blocked to start and Dame sends her throat first into the middle rope. Some shoulders in the corner keep Jordan in trouble and we hit the chinlock with the arm trapped. Dame grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker but Jordan slips out. A 619 armdrag sets up some dropkicks to put Dame down. Jordan hits a high crossbody for two but Dame boots her down for two. Back up and Jordan sends her into the corner, setting up a split legged moonsault for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the smoothest match and while Jordan wasn’t great, she was the better of the two options. These tournaments have a tendency to be about one or two people and Jordan making a run would not be the biggest surprise. At the end of the day, the women’s division needs some fresh blood and we might be seeing it here.

Chase U runs into Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne, with Andre Chase offering to be in Hail’s corner for her tag match. Jayne: “So, like a chaperon?” Jayne thinks it’s not a bad idea and Hail goes along with it, despite some reservations.

We get another vignette of someone watching TV, this time with several second generation wrestlers included. We also see part of a reflection when the TV is turned off. This is the same vignette that aired at No Mercy, or at least close to it.

Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne vs. Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez

Chase U is here too. Hail mocks Vice and Lopez’s dancing entrance. Hail strikes away at Vice to start but Lopez gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Vice as Hail is up with a dragon screw legwhip. Vice breaks up the tag though and knocks Jayne down on the apron. Hail gets over for the tag to Jayne without much trouble, meaning it’s a running neckbreaker for two on Vice. Back up and Vice gets in a shot of her own, allowing the tag to Lopez. That means a missed charge sends Lopez into the post and it’s back to Hail. A quick Kimura makes Lopez tap at 4:07. Chase U didn’t play a factor here.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and Hail being all mature but still intense is an interesting hybrid. I can’t imagine this ends with anything but a big Chase U reunion (having it all be Hail’s psychology project would be hilarious), though it’s letting Hail grow a bit. She could only be the crazy student for so long and this is certainly a different way to go for her. If they can give us the big feel good ending, it should work out just fine.

Carmelo Hayes has requested a match with Bron Breakker next week. Oh, and he’ll have a special guest in his corner: John Cena.

Also next week: Cody Rhodes, with a big announcement. Hey did I mention NXT is going head to head with Dynamite next week?

North American Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Trick Williams

Mysterio, with Rhea Ripley, is challenging in a No Mercy rematch. Williams shoulders and dropkicks him down to start as Ripley is not pleased. We take an early break and come back with the rest of Judgment Day coming to the ring so Dominik can score with a belly to back suplex. A middle rope corkscrew Swanton gives Dominik two and he chokes Williams on the rope.

Three Amigos are broken up and Williams hits a jumping neckbreaker for a breather. Williams hits a Rock Bottom but a distraction lets Dominik hit a DDT onto the belt for two. The 619 connects but the frog splash hits raised knees. Williams hits the running knee so here is JD McDonagh. He’s kneed down as well but Dominik gets the Money in the Bank briefcase. Balor gets in a belt shot and Dominik adds the frog splash to get the title back at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The match and arguably the result aren’t important here. What matters is NXT just made Trick Williams into a star in the last four days. Not only did he beat Dominik clean(ish) to win the title at No Mercy, but it took FIVE people and a belt shot to beat him here. Dominik is right back where he started while Williams is a star who will have a story with Carmelo Hayes coming out of this. Good stuff, and they made a star out of someone with potential.

Post match Paul Heyman pops up to say that since John Cena will be in Carmelo Hayes’ corner, Roman Reigns has told Heyman to be in Breakker’s corner next week. Well sure why not.

Overall Rating: B-. While the wrestling was very focused on the women’s division tonight, this was ALL about the announcements for next week (and maybe the title change too). WWE is going full blast against Dynamite next week and that is going to make for the biggest NXT in a long time. I’m curious to see how things go, but as for tonight, we had a good show coming off NXT, but it’s all about next week and they aren’t trying to hide it.

Results
Butch/Tyler Bate b. Gallus – Double butterfly powerbomb to Coffey
Lyra Valkyria b. Indi Hartwell and Roxanne Perez – Top rope splash to Valkyria
Gigi Dolin b. Blair Davenport – Rollup
Kelani Jordan b. Izzy Dame – Split legged moonsault
Thea Hail/Jacy Jayne b. Elektra Lopez/Lola Vice – Kimura to Vice
Dominik Mysterio b. Trick Williams – Frog splash

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NXT
Date: September 19, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The big story around here is Becky Lynch winning the Women’s Title over Tiffany Stratton last week. Lynch has already taken the title to Raw and it is feeling like a big deal because of the star power she brings to it. Other than that, we have about a week and a half before No Mercy and it’s time to build things up. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Becky Lynch winning the NXT Women’s Title last week.

Here is Lynch to get things going. She is glad to be here and is ready to face everyone in that women’s locker room, sending her into a list of most of the locker room, rhyming her way through the whole thing. As for Tiffany Stratton, Tiffy Time is over! The fans chant BECKY TIME (Becky approves) but here is Stratton to interrupt. The rematch is going to happen and she wants it at No Mercy on September 30.

Lynch is cool with that, but the result is going to be the same. Becky has seen people with rockets strapped to her back before but this NXT has the same feel as when she was there in the first place. After ten years, Becky still wants it more than Stratton does. Lynch thinks Stratton wants to go word for word with the Man, but how about the go punch for punch instead. The fight is on with Kiana James running in for the save. Stratton grabs a chair, which Becky takes away and clears the ring.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are looking over potential opponents but opt to eat instead.

Ilja Dragunov is ready for Carmelo Hayes for No Mercy and he’ll be watching tonight. Becky Lynch comes in and is ready to face Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James 2-1 tonight.

The Meta Four are watching in their lounge and are doing a Matrix impression for some reason.

Dominik Mysterio comes up to Trick Williams and seems to try to put a wedge between Williams and Carmelo Hayes. Williams doesn’t seem to fall for it.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Butch

Butch needs a pin or submission to advance while Bate advances on anything else. Butch works on the arm to start but Bate headscissors his way out of trouble. Bop and Bang is broken up with a shot to the face and Bate is rather serious. Bate hammers him into the corner and the referee has to back it up. A delayed superplex drops Butch again (with a close up camera shot being a rather nice touch) and we take a break.

Back with Butch knocking him down and firing off forearms on the mat. Bate flips away though and hits a running shooting star to the back for some unique offense. The Tyler Driver 97 is pulled into a triangle choke but Bate powers him up into a Death Valley Driver for two. Butch grabs the Tyler Driver 97 for two, followed by Bate’s Bitter End for the same. We have less than a minute to go as Bate’s Spiral Tap hits raised knees. The Bitter End gives Butch two so he loads it up again, only to piledrive Bate down for the pin instead at 11:48.

Rating: B. These two just work well together and seeing them in the same ring brings back some memories of their classics. This might not have been at that level but it was a rather good TV match and the ending took me by surprise as they were heavily teasing the draw. Heck of a match here and it’s nice to see Butch having some success.

Group A Standings
Butch – 2-0-1, 5 points, 0 matches remaining
Tyler Bate – 2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining
Axiom – 0-1-1, 1 point, 1 match remaining
Charlie Dempsey – 0-2-0, 0 points, 1 match remaining

Earlier this week, Jacy Jayne took Thea Hail shopping for some new clothes. A lot of leather is included and Jayne is impressed. We don’t see the final outfit, which is revealed next week.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Duke Hudson vs. Joe Coffey

Hudson needs a win to for a three way tie with Coffey and Nathan Frazer while Coffey advances with a win or a draw. Andre Chase and the rest of Gallus are here too. They trade shoulders to start with Hudson getting the better of things, setting up a running hurricanrana. Coffey is back up and runs him over, setting up a missile dropkick. All The Best For The Bells is loaded up but Hudson rolls him up for the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C. The match didn’t have time to go very far but the important thing here is we have a three way tie for the win. Odds are that sets up a triple threat at some point and we’ll have someone facing Butch, as this is a rather complicated way to set up a #1 contender for a specialty midcard title. For now though, I’ll take Hudson getting a win, which doesn’t happen often enough.

Group B Standings
Nathan Frazer – 2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining
Joe Coffey – 2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining
Duke Hudson – 2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining
Akira Tozawa – 0-3-0, 0 points, 0 matches remaining

Nathan Frazer is very happy with the result and can’t wait for the triple threat match next week. Actually it’s tonight, so he bolts off to get ready.

Mr. Stone has said that Von Wagner is “not good”.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice

Elektra Lopez is here with Vice. They go to the mat to start but Perez chops her in the chest and runs the rope. That’s broken up and Perez’s arm comes down hard to give Vice a target. Vice pulls her into something like a Yes Lock without the crossface. Perez fights up and hits a running dropkick into the corner, followed by the raining of the forearms. Vice goes for the arm again but Perez stacks her up with a rollup for the pin at 4:13.

Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting as Vice was working with the submission stuff and made Perez work here. Vice is way too new to be able to beat Perez but she got close enough here and it made for a nice surprise. Now give Vice a push in the Breakout Tournament and see where it goes.

Eddy Thorpe is mad at Dijak for hurting his sacred tree so we’ll have a strap match.

Roxanne Perez, with the bad arm, comes in to see Becky Lynch and talks about not having people walk all over her anymore. Perez offers to be her partner in the main event but Lynch turns her down because of the arm injury. That’s cool with Perez.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Ilja Dragunov is on commentary as Hayes sends Mysterio to the floor to start. Hayes blocks being sent into the steps and takes it back inside. The 619 is broken up as Hayes hits a superkick into a spinning faceplant. We take a break and come back with Hayes hitting a suplex cutter to put them both down. Mysterio fights back and puts Hayes down, only to miss the frog splash. They go outside where both are sent into Dragunov, though Mysterio slaps him to make it worse. Dragunov comes in and jumps them both for the double DQ at 8:32.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here, especially with almost half of it being spent in the break. What mattered here was getting Dragunov involved, as he and Hayes are getting a lot more personal in a hurry. The match could absolutely deliver, as Hayes and Mysterio did here fairly well.

Post match the brawl is on but Dominik pulls Hayes in the way of the Torpedo Moscow. Dragon Lee comes in to superkick Mysterio and holds up the North American Title.

Trick Williams isn’t happy with what happened but here is Schism to talk to him about loneliness. Williams tells them to get out of here, but Joe Gacy asks why Carmelo Hayes doesn’t think much of him.

Duke Hudson isn’t sure he can win the triple threat but Andre Chase dubs him the Spoiler along with being the MVP in quite the pep talk.

There is a dice game going on outside for a very big stack of cash, with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price (thankfully with name plates) and Scrypts (unfortunately still here) cleaning up.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are ready to get into the Tag Team Title picture.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Joe Coffey vs. Duke Hudson

No time limit. Frazer starts fast and Hudson is knocked down into the corner. Coffey jumps Frazer but gets knocked to the floor, leaving Hudson to faceplant Frazer for two. Frazer sends both of them to the floor for the big dive to take them out again. Back in and Hudson hits a release Rock Bottom out of the corner to plant Frazer but Coffey gives him one heck of a crotching against the post as we take a break.

We come back with Coffey knocking Hudson off the apron but getting rolled up by Frazer for two. Hudson grabs a rollup for two more on Coffey (it worked earlier), followed by the Boss Man Slam for the same. Frazer superkicks Hudson and hits a reverse DDT to Coffey/a regular DDT to Hudson. Coffey’s diving headbutt to the chest is cut off by a superkick but Hudson sends Frazer flying with a release German suplex. Hudson boots Coffey down and sends him to the floor but Frazer runs Hudson over. The phoenix splash connects but Coffey breaks it up and hits All The Best For The Bells to finish Hudson at 12:20.

Rating: B-. They kept things moving here, though having Coffey lose in his first match and then come back to win the second more or less made it feel like filler and nothing more. Coffey vs. Butch should be an interesting match, though it feels like it should be for the title itself rather than a title shot a few days later. Frazer got in his flying and Hudson felt like he was hanging in there, but Coffey was presented as the monster throughout the tournament so having him advance isn’t a big shock.

Butch comes in for the staredown.

Mustafa Ali is mad that Dragon Lee is getting a North American Title shot next week. Ali: “HOW DOES ANY OF THIS MAKE SENSE???” He is going to mess things up on Raw.

Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James are ready to work together against Becky Lynch.

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen argue with Fallon Henley over Myles Borne’s betrayal last week. Baron Corbin comes in to mock them so Briggs stands up to him. Oddly, no match is made.

Carmelo Hayes doesn’t like Ilja Dragunov being so cocky. Next week, he’ll so Dragunov where he stands.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton/Kiana James

Stratton and James jump her from behind in the aisle but cue Lyra Valkyria for the save and we seem to have a new match.

Becky Lynch/Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton/Kiana James

We get the opening bell and Lynch rams James’ head into the buckle over and over. Stratton comes in and gets taken down by Valkyria so Lynch can add a running legdrop. Lynch’s running faceplant drops James for two and the villains are sent outside for a pair of dropkicks through the ropes as we take a break.

Back with James taking Lynch down and grabbing the chinlock. Stratton comes in but misses a handspring elbow, allowing Valkyria to get the tag and clean house. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two on James, with Stratton making the save. Everything breaks down and Lynch/Valkyria hit stereo middle rope legdrops as the villains hanging in the ropes.

Stratton breaks up Valkyria’s springboard though and James adds a powerbomb. Stratton’s Swanton gets two with Lynch making the save and hitting a springboard missile dropkick on James. The same double DDT that Nathan Frazer hit earlier takes James and Stratton down, leaving Valkyria to hit a top rope splash for the pin on James at 11:20.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but they got to a higher level in the end. Valkyria makes sense as the backup for Lynch as she has been put into some pretty high profile spots in recent weeks. Granted she needs to actually win something to help pay that off, but maybe that comes in the form of taking the title from Lynch.

Post match Stratton chairs Lynch down. Lynch makes their No Mercy match Extreme Rules to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’ve said it many times now but dang I love it when this show knocks out a bunch of stuff they need to cover in one show. That was on full display here, with stuff being made for No Mercy and stuff that was already made being re-enforced. This show knows how to use the time they have, though there were some moments that felt like they were just there to make the show go longer. The good was more than good enough though and it was another positive week on the way to Bakersfield.

Results
Butch b. Tyler Bate – Pumphandle driver
Duke Hudson b. Joe Coffey – Rollup
Roxanne Perez b. Lola Vice – Rollup
Carmelo Hayes vs. Dominik Mysterio went to a double disqualification when Ilja Dragunov interfered
Joe Coffey b. Nathan Frazer and Duke Hudson – All The Best For The Bells to Hudson
Becky Lynch/Lyra Valkyria b. Kiana James/Tiffany Stratton – Top rope splash to James

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: September 12, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than three weeks away from No Mercy and tonight we’ll find out the show’s main event. This week will see Ilja Dragunov vs. Wes Les with the winner getting an NXT Title shot against Carmelo Hayes at the big show. Other than that, Becky Lynch is here to challenge Tiffany Stratton for the NXT Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Wes Lee vs. Ilja Dragunov

The winner faces Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Title at No Mercy. Lee knocks him into the corner to start and strikes away before doing it in another corner for a bonus. Dragunov comes back with some forearms of his own as commentary runs down tonight’s card. The enziguri misses for Dragunov and Lee dropkicks him in the back of the head.

One heck of a chop puts Lee down again but he flips out of a German suplex. Lee kicks him to the floor and hits the required dive but another is cut off. We take a break and come back with Lee getting two off a hurricanrana and kicking him in the head a few times. A Spanish Fly gives Lee two but a hard clothesline gives Dragunov the same.

Lee scores with the Cardiac Kick to send Dragunov outside but he’s right back with a top rope superplex. The H Bomb gives Dragunov two more so he loads up the Torpedo Moscow. Lee cuts that off with a jumping knee but Dragunov blasts him with the forearm to the back of the head for the pin and the title shot at 13:26.

Rating: B. This was quite the fight with Dragunov hitting Lee very hard but Lee hanging in there with his own fast paced offense. While Dragunov felt like the favorite, it wouldn’t have been crazy to see Lee pick up the win, which gave the match that extra layer of drama. Dragunov vs. Hayes II should be a heck of a fight though and No Mercy is looking a lot better.

Post match Carmelo Hayes comes out for the showdown.

We look back at Bron Breakker crushing Von Wagner’s head with the steps. Wagner moved away at the last second, but still got hit hard enough to suffer a minor skull fracture.

Here is a serious looking Baron Corbin for a chat. Corbin talks about how normally, people don’t like him and he doesn’t like them, but last week was different. Von Wagner has a history of skull issues and Bron Breakker took advantage of that. Breakker needs to come out here right now so here he is, though Corbin cuts him off at the entrance. The fans have to get in their chants about tables (because of course)….but Corbin thought last week was AWESOME! They celebrate a bit, but Breakker says he didn’t do it to make Corbin happy. It was about ending Wagner’s career and he absolutely loved it.

Corbin was out here to be nice and he was even going to pay Breakker’s fine, but apparently Breakker doesn’t get it. We hear about Corbin’s career but Breakker cuts him off and challenges him to a fight at No Mercy. Breakker tells him to spend the next three weeks with his family, but Corbin slaps him in the face and the fight is on. I’m glad they didn’t turn Corbin face (though they could have made it work there) but Breakker jumping straight to the match seemed like it needed another step.

Charlie Dempsey/Damon Kemp/Drew Gulak vs. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Myles Bore

Fallon Henley is here too. Briggs slams Kemp to start and Jensen adds an elbow, followed by the running corner clotheslines. Gulak comes in and gets caught with a running neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Borne hits his own neckbreaker on Dempsey, followed by Jensen hitting a running spinwheel kick on Kemp. The fight heads outside with Borne posting Jensen so Kemp can hit a Rock Bottom into a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:40.

Borne celebrates with the winners and Henley is upset.

Andre Chase wants Duke Hudson to find Thea Hail but she’s blocked him. We cut to Hail and Jacy Jayne backstage where two guys hit on them. They make fun of Hail for sounding a bit like a child so she beats them up. Hail is tired of looking like this so it’s time to go shopping.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Dana Brooke

Kelani Jordan is here with Brooke. They trade some misses to start until Valkyria kicks her out to the floor. Brooke takes her down for two back inside and the cravate goes on. Valkyria drives her into the corner and starts kicking away before hitting the spinwheel kick. A top rope splash finishes Brooke at 3:34.

Rating: C-. Every week, I watch Brooke’s matches and segments and try to find a way to be interested in anything she does. Every week, that gets harder and harder to do as Brooke continues to be that uninteresting. She’s just someone who can have an acceptable match and happens to have been around for a long time. That doesn’t warrant this much TV time but she’s here doing the same thing week in and week out regardless.

Post match Brooke tries to lunge at Valkyria but Jordan holds her back.

The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament is coming.

Eddy Thorpe isn’t done with Dijak, who pops up in the woods where Thorpe tends to go. Dijak whips a tree and Thorpe is out to get him.

Dominik Mysterio runs into Carmelo Hayes and they brag about their titles. A match is set for next week.

Becky Lynch talks about her original time in NXT and no one thought she was championship material. Now she’s back and ready to win the title. Kiana James comes in to says he doesn’t want Lynch around here, which Becky takes as an application for a beating after she wins the title.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Tyler Bate vs. Axiom

They trade snapmares to start before Axiom takes him to the mat with a headlock. Back up and Bate elbows him out to the floor but they switch places, with Axiom hitting a moonsault. Bate powers him up into the airplane spin so Axiom rolls outside as we take a break. We come back with Axiom favoring his knee and charging into a suplex out of the corner.

They trade hard kicks as we see the Meta Four watching, with Noam Dar sitting on an elephant. Axiom cranks on the arm but gets caught in another airplane spin. This one is countered into a poisonrana for two, only to have Bate come back with a brainbuster for the same. Axiom Spanish Flies him into a rollup but Bate cuts him off with the rebound lariat. The Tyler Driver 97 finishes Axiom at 10:10.

Rating: B-. As tends to be the case with a lot of TV matches, the break in the middle killed a lot of the flow they had going. Axiom is one of those great hands that can wrestle with anyone while Bate always feels like he is one step away from being a breakout star. They had a good back and forth match here, but it could have been better with some more time.

Group A Standings
Butch (1-0-1, 3 points, 1 match remaining)
Tyler Bate (1-0-0, 2 points, 2 matches remaining)
Axiom (0-1-1, 1 point, 1 match remaining)
Charlie Dempsey (0-1-0, 0 points, 2 matches remaining)

Butch talks about his history with Tyler Bate, but next week, it’s time for Butch to prove that he is the toughest man in NXT.

Schism, now seemingly just Joe Gacy and Ava, say their tree is dying.

Carmelo Hayes comes in to see Trick Williams, who offers to have Hayes’ back next week against Dominik Mysterio. Hayes declines but they’re absolutely still friends. As this is going on, Wes Lee clears out his locker behind them.

Creed Brothers vs. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe

Ivy Nile is here with the Creeds and Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo come out to watch from the balcony. Brutus gets knocked to the floor to start and Enofe dropkicks Julius for a fast two. Back up and an assisted crossbody gets two on Enofe with Blade having to make a save. A Hart Attack Blockbuster gets two on Brutus and a Fameasser puts him down again. Brutus powers up though and brings Julius back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Brutus Ball/powerbomb combination finishes Blade at 3:37.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match, but the Creeds are showing how they are far above almost every other team around here. They’re crisp, they work well together and Julius’ house cleaning is as good as it gets in NXT. They feel like they’re one big match away from the main roster, though the division getting some depth might keep them around a bit longer.

Post match Hank Walker and Tank Ledger come in to stare at the Creeds but Bronco Nima and Lucien Price come in to brawl with them in the aisle instead.

Becky Lynch is glad to see Lyra Valkyria, who wants her to win tonight.

Roxanne Perez talks about what the Women’s Breakout tournament can mean but Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice come in to talk trash to her. My goodness learn how women talk already.

No Mercy rundown.

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Akira Tozawa

Frazer grabs a headlock to start before sending Tozawa into the ropes. Tozawa is right back with a snap German suplex into a missile dropkick. With Frazer on the floor, Tozawa hits a dive but takes too long going up, allowing Frazer to run the ropes for a superplex. That’s floated into a suplex neckbreaker for the pin at 2:31. Well that was brisk.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey (2-0-0, 4 points, 1 match remaining)
Nathan Frazer (2-1-0, 4 points, 0 matches remaining)
Duke Hudson (1-1-0, 2 points, 1 match remaining)
Akira Tozawa (0-3-0, 0 points, 0 matches remaining)

Joe Coffey is ready to beat Duke Hudson next week and win the group. Hudson comes in to point out that if he wins, it’s a three way tie and he’ll be able to call himself the Spoiler.

Mustafa Ali is happy with becoming #1 contender to the North American Title and doesn’t care about a fast count. Dragon Lee comes in and isn’t happy, but Ali says Lee will get the first title shot when he wins the title. Lee doesn’t seem happy.

Wes Lee says he’s done and leaves.

Gigi Dolin jumps jumps Blair Davenport but security breaks it up.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton

Lynch is challenging and we get the Big Match Intros. Stratton drives her into the corner to start and cartwheels into a standoff. Lynch flips around a bit as well but it’s too early for the Disarm-Her. They trade forearms until Stratton knocks her to the apron for a hip attack. We take a break and come back with Lynch hitting a running elbow in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Lynch two but Stratton hits a Sky High for the same.

Lynch catches her up top but a superplex is broken up. A Swanton gives Stratton two and a double stomp gets the same as frustration is setting in. Lynch is back up and counters the Prettiest Moonsault Ever into a super Russian legsweep for two. They head outside with Lynch having to climb onto the barricade to avoid a powerbomb. Back in and Lynch hits a legdrop into the Disarm-Her, sending Stratton to the ropes. The sitout powerbomb gives Stratton two but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses. Lynch is right back up with the Manhandle Slam for the pin and the title at 13:20.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and the good sign is that Stratton looked more than comfortable in there against a top star like Lynch. They’ve got something with Stratton and it seems that they know it, which makes her all the more valuable. At the same time, Lynch isn’t likely to be a long term champion and someone can take the title from her for a big rub. Great main event here and they more than lived up to the expectations.

Lynch celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, NXT is at its best when it lays out a bunch of things it needs to do and then accomplishes them, all while setting up something for the future. That was the case here, with both next week as well as No Mercy being set up. At the same time, they had a good opener and a better main event, making it a strong wrestling show as well. Very solid effort this week and No Mercy is looking that much better rather quickly.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Wes Lee – Forearm to the back of the head
Damon Kemp/Drew Gulak/Charlie Dempsey b. Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen/Myles Borne – Rock Bottom neckbreaker to Jensen
Lyra Valkyria b. Dana Brooke – Top rope splash
Tyler Bate b. Axiom – Tyler Driver 97
Creed Brothers b. Malik Blade/Edris Enofe – Brutus Ball/powerbomb combination to Blade
Nathan Frazer b. Akira Tozawa – Suplex neckbreaker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: August 29, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Heatwave and about a month away from No Mercy. Carmelo Hayes has retained the NXT Title and seems likely to be facing Ilja Dragunov next. For now though, we have a cage match between the Creeds and Schism for the Creeds’ chance to return full time. That would be one of two cage matches in four days this week because WWE likes to do things a lot. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt.

We open with a long recap of Heatwave.

Dyad vs. Creed Brothers

In a cage and if the Creeds win, they’re back in NXT full time. Schism jumps Brutus outside the cage and take him to the back, leaving Julius down 2-1. Julius suplexes his way out of trouble but gets caught with a double clothesline. Some ankle locks slow the Dyad down but they send him face first into the cage as we take a break.

Back with Julius still in trouble but here is Brutus to charge through the rest of the masked Schism members. With nothing else stopping him, Brutus rips the cage door off and gets inside to beat up the Dyad without much trouble. The door is used to crush Dyad against the cage and Fowler gets gorilla pressed into the wall.

What looks to be a Doomsday Device is broken up and Julius is sent into the cage again. Some cage shots to Brutus keep him down until Julius makes the save. Julius lifts both of them onto his shoulders at once for a Brutus Bomb in a very impressive power display. The beatdown is on in a hurry and stereo sliding lariats finish the Dyad at 13:45.

Rating: B-. This was more of a fight than a match and that is what it should have been. There is something amazing about watching the Creeds run through other, possibly more talented teams, with pure power and athleticism. Both of them can just wreck people and it is all kinds of fun to watch every time they’re out there. Just get them something else to do already so they can move up to the main roster.

Roxanne Perez is ready to become #1 contender.

We get a rather well produced video looking over the Global Heritage Cup Invitational. It’s a round robin tournament, set up as two groups of four with the winners facing off for a future title shot. All group matches have a 12 minute time limit and it’s two points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. These matches are NOT under the rounds system.

Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are admiring their titles in the back when Carmelo Hayes comes in to brag with them. The Street Profits come in and show respect to Hayes, while mentioning a blemish on his record. Hayes is ready to get rid of it while the Profits….are interrupted by a brawl between Dana Brooke, Elektra Lopez, Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan.

Global Heritage Invitational Group A: Charlie Dempsey vs. Butch

Drew Gulak and Damon Kemp are here with the Meta Four watching from a box. Dempsey suplexes Butch down to start as the fans are on Butch’s side. They stay on the mat to trade control over the other’s hands. Back up and Butch knocks him down for some forearms to the face. Dempsey’s German suplex gets two but Butch pulls him into an armbar. Butch snaps the fingers again and it’s the Bitter End for the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C+. This was your technical match of the night and my goodness it’s nice to see Butch being like Pete Dunne but under a different name. He has a history in NXT and it is great to see him going back to what made him one of the best things in wrestling for a long time. Dempsey is rather good as well, but he’s not Butch yet and it showed here.

Group A Standings
Butch – 1-0-0 (3 points)
Tyler Bate – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Axiom – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Charlie Dempsey – 0-1-0 (0 points)

Dragon Lee thinks he deserves a North American Title shot but Mustafa Ali comes in to say he’s never had a one on one title shot. People like he and Lee should be fighting for NXT…but Lee already struck out so it’s Ali’s turn now. Lee doesn’t seem to agree as Ali leaves.

Here is Ilja Dragunov to praise Trick Williams for last week. Williams left it all in the ring and proved that he is NOT a sidekick. Dragunov was impressed but now he wants Carmelo Hayes. Hold on though as Noam Dar interrupts from the box to say they’re already on the way to California for No Mercy. Dragunov says it’s very Dar-esque to put the attention on himself and laughs off Oro Mensah’s childish insults.

Dragunov wants to know why he isn’t coming up there right now. Lash Legend says Dar isn’t afraid of anyone so Dragunov takes off the jacket. The Meta Four freaks out so Dar says let’s do this next week: Mensah vs. Dragunov. Works for Dragunov, who kicks Mensah in the head and sends him bailing at the threat of the Torpedo.

Von Wagner wants Bron Breakker, No DQ.

Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez vs. Kelani Jordan/Dana Brooke

Lopez powers Jordan down to start and it’s off to Vice for a double hip attack to the head. Vice’s spinning backfist gets two but Jordan kicks her way out of trouble. Brooke flips Jordan onto Lopez for two as everything breaks down. A spinning kick to the head finishes Jordan at 4:01.

Rating: D+. As usual, Dana Brooke matches aren’t very good and it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. Jordan is still brand new at this and still has a long way to go. Then you have Lopez, who feels like she should be a star but never really broke out. Finally there is Vice, and she has something. There is a presence to go with her charisma and that could get her a long way.

Gigi Dolin is ready to become #1 contender.

Trick Williams talks to Carmelo Hayes, who doesn’t like people thinking Williams got him the win over Ilja Dragunov. Now Hayes has to fight Dragunov one on one but Williams isn’t sure if Hayes can beat him. Hayes isn’t happy, but as he leaves, Williams says “I know you can”, though Hayes doesn’t seem to hear him.

Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe

Eddy starts the fight in the aisle and hits a running boot in the corner for two. A suplex gets the same on Dijak but he’s right back with High Justice for two. They’re both knocked down so Dijak pulls off his belt and the tug of war is on. Thorpe sends him shoulder first into the post but gets tossed hard over the announcers’ table for the big crash. Dijak misses a chair shot in the corner so Eddy him outside. The referee takes the chair away and Dijak gets in a belt shot. The cyclone boot finishes Eddy at 4:15.

Rating: C. These two had a hard hitting match but they seem to be stuck in the purgatory that is the NXT midcard. Either of them could move up to the next level without much of a stretch but for now, they’re more people just trading wins without going anywhere. Why aren’t either of them in the North American Title hunt? Or even the Heritage stuff?

Kiana James is ready to become #1 contender.

Bron Breakker interrupts Baron Corbin and tells him to stay out of the No DQ match with Von Wagner next week.

Angel Garza wakes up with blood on his hands. After he washes it off, Humberto Carrillo knocks on the door and says he had a dream about their grandfather. They seem to have had the same dream, with Garza scratching his chest until he bled. Carrillo reveals that he did the same thing, which means they have to start from….scratch. They pull out a Los Lotharios shirt and seem to be on the same page.

Bray Wyatt tribute video.

Blair Davenport is ready to become #1 contender.

Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio aren’t impressed by Dragon Lee. Mysterio says he belongs to Mami and Ripley promises to make him champ for life. Lee and Mustafa Ali can even fight each other for a North American Title shot at No Mercy. Dominik will even be guest referee!

Global Heritage Invitational Group B: Nathan Frazer vs. Joe Coffey

The rest of Gallus is at ringside. Frazer works on the arm to start but Frazer seems to accidentally slam his head against the top rope (I’ve never seen that before) so Coffey slams him down. The referee checks on Frazer as fast as he can but Frazer is fine enough to grab a headlock. Coffey powers him into the corner but gets knocked to the apron. A dropkick sends Frazer outside and we take a break.

Back with Frazer firing off a bunch of running forearms into a swinging suplex for two. Coffey cuts him off with a pop up uppercut into a bridging German suplex for two more. Frazer is fine enough to send him outside for a heck of a dive (which barely makes contact). The frog splash gets two back inside but Frazer misses a phoenix splash. A Gallus distraction lets All The Best for The Bells finish for Coffey at 10:00.

Rating: C+. If Frazer is going to be getting the title shot against Dar at the end of this whole thing, they are already building him up for quite the underdog run. Other than that though, we had another good enough match, with Coffey getting something of an upset win. Frazer continues to be a fireball every time he’s out there though and that is always fun to see.

Group B Standings
Joe Coffey – 1-0-0 (3 points)
Akira Tozawa – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Duke Hudson – 0-0-0 (0 points)
Nathan Frazer – 0-1-0 (0 points)

We’re off to Chase U, where there is no Thea Hail. Duke Hudson doesn’t know where she is but can’t imagine she skipped class. Chase recognized Duke Hudson for being in the Global Heritage Invitational. Chase didn’t know that Hudson was from Australia, thinking it was New Zealand. Hudson seems surprised at the round robin structure. Class is dismissed and Hudson and Chase talk about the tournament. Thea Hail comes in and seems to imply she skipped class. Hudson says they’re off to Study Hall but Hail says she’s going out. Jacy Jayne pops in to ask if Hail is ready and they leave together. Oh dear.

Fallon Henley talks to Myles Borne, who is cleaning the ring after Drew Gulak and company. She offers him a spot on a team with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, so he’s in.

Wes Lee is in the desert and says he wants another shot at Carmelo Hayes, who didn’t beat him as Lee beat himself. It’s different the next time he gets a chance.

Tyler Bate sizes up the competition in his group but seems to think twice at Butch. As for next week though, he’s going to be waiting in the ring for Dabba-Kato, so come be the Goliath to his David.

Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James vs. Blair Davenport

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a Women’s Title shot next week. Dolin and James fight to the floor to start, leaving Davenport to forearm Perez down. Back in and they trade rollups for two each Everyone stares at each other. Dolin plants Perez on the apron and whips James into the barricade. Davenport takes Dolin down but James moonsaults off the barricade to drop Davenport, only to get taken down by Perez’s dive.

We take a break and come back with Perez getting the worst of a Tower Of Doom. The lack of impact leaves Dolin to hit running charges and dropkicks against the ropes until Perez fights up. Pop Rox is broken up by a James dropkick but Davenport plants Perez or two. Dolin gets two off a half and half suplex and everyone is down (including James on the floor). Perez is back up with Pop Rox to Davenport but she rolls out to the floor. James is back in with the 401k to Perez, followed by the Dealbreaker to Dolin for the pin and the title shot at 11:39.

Rating: B-. This was a better match that I was expecting as they were moving well out there and kept up the action throughout. James kind of stole the win but she did it by taking out two people in a row. That’s an impressive way to get the title shot and it’s nice to see her get a boost. The women’s division can use some fresh blood so even a short shot of James is a good idea.

Tiffany Stratton comes out for the staredown with James.

Carmelo Hayes is watching Wes Lee’s promo and goes into Shawn Michaels’ office, saying they need to talk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Another fine show here, even if it was more about setting things up than last week’s show with a bunch of showdowns. They have about a month before No Mercy and they started fast here, though that tournament sounds long (I can however go for something other than another single elimination format). This wasn’t exactly a must see show, but it started to set things up in the right time.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Dyad – Double sliding lariats
Butch b. Charlie Dempsey – Spinning kick to the head
Lola Vice/Elektra Lopez b. Dana Brooke/Kelani Jordan – Spinning kick to the head to Jordan
Dijak b. Eddy Thorpe – Cyclone boot
Joe Coffey b. Nathan Frazer – All The Best For The Bells
Kiana James b. Gigi Dolin, Roxanne Perez and Blair Davenport – Dealbreaker to Dolin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.